In the biofuels industry, and particularly with respect to biodiesel (methyl esters) there is typically a need to separate reaction products. For example the byproduct glycerol may be produced along with biodiesel fuel in process reactions and may need to be separated from biodiesel. Wash products may also need to be separated from biodiesel and/or other byproducts.
Prior art centrifuges may rely on complex construction of disk stacks, complicated angles and expensive parts, weirs, etc. Such constructions may result in relatively inflexible operation and limit a given centrifuge to a relatively specialized role, such as being limited to a relatively specific feed stream or requiring manual adjustment to modify feed stream composition, for example.
There is a need for a faster, more efficient, less complex, and/or cheaper methods of separation. Thus, there has gone unmet a need for improved methods and apparatuses. Some embodiments according to the present disclosure provide these and other advantages.